Capital punishment in the Netherlands
Capital punishment in the Netherlands (
A few years after gaining independence in 1815, the Kingdom of the Netherlands determined that the death penalty could be carried out through beheading.
Today the Netherlands operates a clear policy against capital punishment, not participating in extradition if the suspect has a chance of facing execution in the state seeking extradition.[citation needed]
Constitution
- Article 114 of the Constitution (Dutch: Grondwet) prohibits sentencing someone to death. The exact provision in the original Dutch, De doodstraf kan niet worden opgelegd, translates to "The death penalty cannot be imposed".[2] This means that as a result, the death penalty does not exist in the Netherlands. It also means that the death penalty cannot be added to future or existing law articles.
Capital punishment today
The Reformed Political Party (Dutch:
Last executed man and woman in the Netherlands
Executed person | Date of execution | Crime(s) | By | Where | Method |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ans van Dijk | January 14, 1948 | Betrayal of 700 hiding Jews during World War II. She collaborated with the Sicherheitsdienst | Bijzonder Gerechtshof[3][4] | Fort Bijlmer | Firing squad
|
Artur Albrecht and Andries Jan Pieters[4] | March 21, 1952 | SD-commander; torture and executions. | Bijzonder Gerechtshof[3][4] | Waalsdorpervlakte | Firing squad |
See also
- 13 May 1945 German deserter execution, occurred in the Netherlands but was by German authorities enforcing German law upon German subjects
References
General note: All sources are in Dutch.
Sources:
- Nationaal Archief, the largest public archive in the Netherlands.
- Archief Ministerie van Justitie, the archive of the Dutch Ministry of Justice.
References:
- ^ "Netherlands". 29 March 2023.
- ^ "wetten.nl - Wet- en regelgeving - Grondwet - BWBR0001840". overheid.nl.
- ^ a b This court was established shortly after World War II, for crimes committed in WW II. 154 were sentenced to death, but only 39 were executed. Some of those executions were done by firing squad.
- ^ a b c "De laatste doodstraf" (in Dutch). Geschiedenis 24, Andere Tijden. Retrieved 11 December 2020.
External links
Media related to Death penalty in the Netherlands at Wikimedia Commons